#myszko

Yesterday I was wandering around the forest, still following the Path, when I heard a rustling in the bushes. 

I took my dagger and I approached it. I thought that it could have been something dangerous and probably deadly. No, I do not have a death wish, but usually scary things bring lot of coin.

So, as soon as I got near it, the noise ceased and the bush went still. I waited, holding my breath for something to jump out but nothing happened.

Just as I was putting away my knife, the rustling started again. I got near it swiftly and guess what? a FUCKING RABBIT JUMPED OUT, and ran away in the woods.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement, it could have been a good dinner at least.

Anyway, I walked back to camp, and I tried to ignore my empty stomach, as I ran out of rations almost a day ago. 

I stocked up the fire with a quick Igni and rolled out my bedroll. My loyal gelding Shard was grazing the grass not far from me, or at least what little he found on the dry soil.

The sun was descending on the horizon, but there was still enough light to notice them.

Nekkers.

A little pack, luckily, but still. They were sneaky and fast creatures, and they were approaching quickly.

I unsheathed my silver sword and got in a defensive stance, rising the weapon at my shoulder level.

The one in the front, covered in red clay marks, shouted something and three of them started running towards me, screaming.

I swinged the sword, effectively cutting one’s arm and making another bleed from a chest wound.

The mutilated one looked at me (I guess, you can never tell with them) and tried to use his claws to gut me. He found itself without a head, but not before plunging his nails in my side. That fucker. I managed to rip down the other two, before what may be called the chieftain threw the rest of them at me. They fell under my sword as I reached the last one. He cried out and tried to bite me, but he only managed to get beheaded.

cutting off his head, I tied it to my saddle bags, then I started cleaning up my sword, nekker blood can be nasty on silver.

I’ll bring the trophy to the next town, hoping to earn something for it. I put aside my cleaned sword and pick up my potions’ bag, rifling through them to find the one I needed.

 Ah, there it is, my trusty Swallow. I chugged it down and put some on the wound, for good measure.

“Fuck, I’ll need a tailor for this” I said, looking at the rip in my leather armour and the tunic underneath.

“but it can wait until tomorrow morning, don't you think Shard?” he snorted in response and resumed his grazing. “thank you, you’re always a joy to speak to.” 

I got in my bedroll, turning my back to the fire and closed my eyes, falling in a light sleep.

The morning after, the first thing I noticed waking up, was the stench. The rotting smell of the nekker head I left near the bags.

Not a big deal, I’ll get rid of it as soon as I get in town, but in the meantime it’s pretty gross.

I packed up the camp and put everything on Shard. 

“Sorry for the smell, I’ll get you some apples when we arrive in town.” I patted his neck. He whinnied and started a gentle trot towards the end of the woods.

After 2 hours, give or take, we arrived to the village, it was a farmer one, so I didn’t expect a big reward for the nekkers.

After putting Shard in the tavern’s stable, I began walking towards the alderman house. I knocked on the wooden door, a loud noise of broken grass and falling metal, probably a tin mug, welcomed me. The door opened and a short man in his 50s, with a short salt and pepper beard greeted me.

“what can I do for you…” and after noticing my medallion “...witcher?”

I raised the monster head “How much for this?”

He turned pale and then slightly green, before covering his nose with a dirty handkerchief.

“By the Gods, keep it down! It stinks like pest.” 

I lowered it and stared at him, right into his watery eyes, rising an eyebrow.

“Fine, fine! I’ll give you 100 orens.”

“150”

“Pest, no way!”

I slightly swayed the head, as if I wanted to throw it at him.

“alright! I’ll give you 150 orens, but get that thing away from my house.”

I nodded, putting the head on the ground.

He went in, leaving the door open, I could see him going around, taking out little pouches of coin from everywhere. “He may have a lot of debts.” I thought.

He got back, five little bags in his hands.

“Here, now go away and do not get near me again.” Then he whispered, not meaning to let me hear “I hope the pest takes you away, mutant!”

I rolled my eyes but after making a mocking bow, I made my way to where I left my horse.

I threw the nekker head in a dunghill on the road, not that it would have made a difference, the stench was almost the same.

I heard a lot of noise as I got close to the stable.

“Oh, come on! Just one song, I swear on my beloved mother’s grave, may she rest in peace. I need co… don’t you dare touch it! No! You will break… the strings, sweet Melitele! My poor harp!” as I took the turn I saw someone I (unfortunately) knew very well. 

My friend Jarek.

I sighed, He can’t stay out of trouble for the love of the Gods for barely one day. We splitted the day before, him saying that he had “important things to do and beautiful people to see.”

As I got closer, people began to move away from me, afraid or maybe just because I smelled like I took a dip in the muck.

I’ll say the latter.

“Jarek, my friend, what are you doing here?” I asked the half-elf bard.

“May the Gods strike me if that is not my Myszko!” he grinned.

“I told you not to call me that.” I glared at him, making him flush and lower his eyes, to my great satisfaction.

“Sorry Rysia, I-”

“What happened? And- No, don’t you dare tell me that you have nothing to do with this.” I interrupted him just as he was opening his mouth to protest.

The crowd was looking at us, curious to see what that situation will bring. I glare was enough to scare away the most of them “What are you looking at?” I asked the others. They grumbled something along the lines of “Fuckin’ witcher” and “mutant”, but apart from a few that got the audacity to spit, everyone left swiftly.

“So? I’m waiting for an explanation.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I was in the tavern, you know, as always, playing my harp and singing my best ones. Oh, by the way, you have to hear the last one I wrote, It’s about a maiden I found in -”

“Jarek” I almost growled.

“Right, as I said, I was in the tavern, and suddenly the owner comes out of the kitchen saying that I can’t stay there, that I should take my “shoddy songs” somewhere else. Can you believe it? Calling my masterpieces, shoddy! How dare he!”  The bard was fuming.

“Let me guess, you refused to and he kicked you out.”

“It was my right to stay there!”

I shook my head “You’ll get killed one of this days. Come on, I have some coin, I’ll buy you something to eat at the market.”

“No need, I have my own - eh, maybe I’ll take you up on your offer.” He said after looking into his, sadly, almost empty satchel.

I smiled and throw an arm over his shoulder, steering him towards the lively fair.

“It has grown.” I said touching his black hair, that now caressed his chin. “You look good.”

“Thank you, I quite like it myself.” 

“First, I’ll need to stop at the armourer stall, I’ll need this repaired.” I showed him the ripped leather.

“Then we will eat?”

I chuckled “Yes, then we will eat.”

We stopped at a young woman stand, various tunics were spread on the table, some tinted in vibrant colors, others in less flashy hues. I decided to buy two of them, one white and the other black. I paid the woman for them and handed in the armor to get it repaired.

“Come back tomorrow morning, it will be ready then.”

I nodded and, took the bard by the arm, I dragged him to a food stall.

There were many of them, but this one sold obwarzanek, some sort of big bagels,sprinkled with sesame seeds.

“I missed this thing” whispered the bard, “do you remember when we ate them after the griffin hunt? they were still hot from the oven.”

“I remember.” I huffed a laugh “You burned your tongue because you couldn’t wait for it to cool down.”

He laughed, a real belly one. “Well, you know me, I’m not one who likes to wait.” he winked. “By the way, you look strange without your armour.”

“you have already seen me without.”

“Yes, but not outside, just in your room.”

“mmh, right.”

I approached a little old woman selling various fruits, dried and fresh alike.

“How much for your apples, good woman?”

“I’ll give you six for 3 orens, my dear.” she smiled at me.

“then I’ll take six of them and some dried apples as well, please”

“here, have a good day, dear. And be careful, we need the likes of you around.” she squeezed my hand.

I was a bit taken aback from her words and gesture, but in a good way.

“Why apples? do you want to make a pie?” he joked

“No, I have a horse.”

“what? since when?” He looked genuinely surprised.

“since - forever?” I looked at him “Come, I’ll make you meet him.”

We got to the tavern shed, the stable boy glanced at me weary, than shrugged and resumed his cleaning task.

As I got nearer to Shard, I felt him getting restless. “Hey, good boy. I brought you apples, as promised.” I stroked his forefront. “Jarek, That’s Shard. Shard that’s my friend Jarek. Please don’t bite him like you do with every new person,mh?”

“Gods, he’s gorgeous.” He raised a hand to touch him, but I stopped him before he would find himself without a few fingers. I guided his hand to Shard’s neck, making him caress him there. “Be careful, I was not joking about the biting.”

While he petted his neck, I gave him some apples. After that I brushed him down, taking away the dust of two days on the road. 

“Let’s go Jarek, do you have a room?”

“Not enough coin to take one, that was the reason why I wanted to sing.”

“Let’s go then. See you tomorrow Shard.”

As we entered the tavern, the patrons stopped talking, but I’m used to it by now. I approached the owner and asked for a room with two beds.

I seemed disgusted to speak to me but in the end he gave me the key. I had the suspect that I paid it more than the average but that’s everyday life for me after all. I asked for a bath to be brought up to the room while we drank something.

After two ales we went up, I was looking forward to a good wash, after two weeks worth of river baths and nothing else.

As I sank in the hot water I felt my muscles melt in the heat, I let out a contented sigh.

After the soothing soak, I put on my smallclothes and put myself under the scratchy covers.

“Goodnight bard.”

“Goodnight Myszko, sleep well.”

“Mmh, fuck you.”